GoTo Fly, a low-cost Italian carrier that launched with ambitions to revive air traffic in northern Italy after the COVID-19 pandemic, has permanently ceased operations and canceled all future flights. The closure marks the latest in a wave of European airline failures hitting the industry over the past year.
Virtual Airline Model Proves Unsustainable
The carrier, based at Forli Airport in northern Italy’s Emilia-Romagna region, operated as a virtual airline that sold tickets under its own brand but outsourced actual flights to other carriers. Over three years of operation beginning in 2023, GoTo Fly served more than 83,000 passengers across 16 routes connecting Italian cities to destinations throughout Europe, including Vienna, Athens, and cities in Croatia, Greece, and France. The airline worked with over 450 travel agencies across Europe to market and sell its services.
The budget airline launched in 2023 in the hopes of reviving air traffic after the pandemic. https://t.co/TMkZ1pqxMM
— TheStreet (@TheStreet) April 10, 2026
Company representatives confirmed the shutdown took effect on April 10, with sections of the airline’s website taken down and a farewell message posted on social media thanking customers for their business. The last flight operated under the GoTo Fly brand departed on October 11 from Forli to Lampedusa on an Air Mediterranean Boeing 737-400, meaning no passengers face immediate cancellations or disruptions. Routes previously marketed through GoTo Fly will continue operating directly through the airlines themselves.
Post-Pandemic Recovery Changes Market
Airport management officials explained that the virtual carrier’s business model became obsolete as regular air traffic recovered from pandemic lows. Riccardo Pregnolato, account manager for the company overseeing Forli Airport operations, stated the airline emerged from urgent post-COVID needs to overcome carrier shortages when the airport prepared to restart operations. With that recovery phase complete, traditional airlines resumed normal service levels, eliminating the need for an intermediary marketing brand. The rise in regular traffic significantly reduced demand for flights marketed through separate brands rather than directly by carriers.
Broader Pattern of European Airline Failures
GoTo Fly joins a troubling list of European carriers that collapsed within the past year. British regional carriers Eastern Airways and Blue Channels, Swedish airlines Braathens Aviation and H-Bird, and Iceland’s Play Airlines all shut down in high-profile failures. National carrier Air Albania and Slovenian budget airline AlpAvia also ceased operations within the last six months. Industry analysts attribute these failures to challenging market conditions, rising operational costs, and shrinking customer bases that make survival difficult for smaller regional carriers in an expensive industry with tight profit margins.